BCAP Still a Player in 2012 Farm Bill

Published on May 24, 2012

Both chambers of Congress continue to consider the many components of the 2012 Farm Bill. While several bioenergy related programs have been slated for the chopping block, there is still an opportunity for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program to prevail.

In late April the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a version of the 2012 Farm Bill that included an amended Energy Title section that will mandate energy program funding. The Energy Title, sponsored by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), allocates roughly $800 million over five years to programs that include BCAP and the Rural Energy for America Program.

Bipartisan support for the Energy Title was considerable, passing by a vote of 16-5. Some Congressional members in from the South remain concerned, in part because some funding to restore the Energy Title has come from removing funding for the economic adjustment assistance to uses of the upland cotton program ($476 million).